Weekly report

Meeting summary

The EU Visa Information System (VIS) and UK nationals data

The proposals include: decisions authorising the Commission to open negotiations with eight countries (Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt and Algeria) to enable their law enforcement authorities to exchange personal data with Europol and a Regulation to replace and improve existing EU mechanisms for the cross-border enforcement of freezing and confiscation orders so that criminals are under able to evade justice by concealing the proceeds of crime in another Member State.

The UK has opted into both proposals. The UK is not participating in a proposed Regulation to upgrade the EU Visa Information System (VIS). The changes are intended to enhance security by ensuring that more thorough background checks are carried out on visa applicants before they travel to the Schengen area.

Given uncertainty about the UK's future immigration policy towards EU citizens travelling to the UK post-exit, the European Scrutiny Committee says it cannot exclude the possibility that the personal data of UK nationals may be held in VIS post-exit. The Committee therefore intends to monitor developments closely.